Sanding device



G. M. TOWLE.

SANDING DEVICE.

APPLlCATlON HLED JAN-11,1921.

1,387,815. Patented Aug. 16,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SANDING DEVICE.

Application filed January 11, 1921.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. TowLE, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Middletown, in the county of Newport and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sanding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to track sanding devices and has for its object the provision of novel means whereby a sand hopper and parts associated with it may be reciprocated or vibrated to augment the discharge of sand from the hopper to the chute for distributing the sand to insure effective distribution under different conditions of the sand. As is well known, sand for the purpose indicated often becomes wet and in such a state that it does not readily discharge from the hopper, and in fact, will not do so by gravity alone to produce efficient results. It is the object of this invention, therefore, to vibrate the hopper with relation to the chute and by the same operation forcibly eject sand into the chute as the hopper agitating element is reciprocated.

A still further object of this invention is to produce a sanding apparatus having power applying means for causing the movement of the hopper and the sand ejecting element in order that compressed air of the air brake system or from other sources may be employed for operating the sanding inechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a view in elevation of a sanding apparatus embodying the inven tion with the power applying mechanism in section;

Fig. 2 illustrates a vertical sectional view through a fragment of the hopper and the discharge chute and intermediate parts;

Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional view on a line corresponding with the line 33 of ig. 4 illustrates a top plan view of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16', 1921. Serial No. 436,459.

discharge chute and the sand means;

Fig. 5 illustrates a perspective view of one of the gates; and

Fig. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the other gate.

In these drawings 10 denotes the discharge chute having a pipe 11 connected thereto at its discharge end, the said chute having a flange 12 projecting from it laterally, the said flange having lugs 13 and i l at each end on its upper surface, the said lugs being spaced apart to form clearances in which a rod 15 may operate. The lugs are placed on each end in a manner that the chute may be applied to a car so that the device may be operated from either end of the chute.

The flange 12 has pairs of cars 16 and 17 on its upper surface at each side, the said pairs of ears being provided with pivots 18 and 19 respectively, on which the links 20 and 21 respectively, are mounted for oscillation. These parts are duplicated on each side of the flange and the links are intended to support a valve box 2 in order that the said box may be suspended in the mouth or upper end of the discharge chute. The bor: is of less length than the opening in the chute in order that the box may have reciprocatory motion in the said chute.

The box in the present embodiment of the invention has two transversely disposed flanges or webs 23 and 24: between which a spout of the hopper 96 is seated and between which the said spout is held by afastening 27 such as a screw. The box also has a horizontal floor 28 immediately under the discharge spout of the hopper, the said floor having flanges or shoulders 99 at its ends. The flanges 29 terminate on a plane below the lower edges of the webs E23 and 24- and are offset from the outer sides of the said webs, and hence there is a space above the flanges 29 fol-the discharge of sand which may be forced over the flanges and into openings 30, one of said openings being provided at each end of the box and each of said openings discharges into the chute 10.

One wall of the box has an aperture 31 therein through which the rod 15 moves and the said rod has a plunger 32 on its inner end adapted to slide on the floor 28 of the box and to alternately abut the flanges 29 at the ends of the floor. This plunger 32 is discharging flange by gravity. of identical constructlon and mounting as effective to force deposits of sand from the floor of the box over the flange toward which it moves and it is furthermore effective to engage the said flange or to exert force against the flange to move the box in one direction and on its reverse movement to discharge sand in the opposite direction and to exert force against the box to reciprocate it in the opposite direction, so that asthe plunger is moved to and fro, it ejects sand and moves the box and as the box carries the hopper, the contents of the hopper will be more or lessagitated due to its movement and to its abrupt stop. box is arrested at the limit of its movement in each direction by a wall of the discharge chute and one of the pairs of lugs, and it is the purpose of the inventor that this arresting'of the box and hopper shall result in an impact which will produce a vibratory or jarring action effective to dislodge sand from the hopper that it may be discharged through the spout to the box.

As a means for preventing the sand from escaping from the box except upon actuation of the plunger, gates or valves 33 and 34; are provided, the said valve 33 being supplied with trunnions 35 and 36 which lie in recesses 37 and 38 respectively, in the upper edges of the box, which form bearings for the said trunnions. The bearings for the trunnions are in such relation to the flange 29 of the box as to cause the gates or valves to assume an inclined position so that they are held closed or in engagement with the The gate or valve 34 is that of the valve or gate 33, the only differenoe being that the gate or valve 3 f has a slot 39 through whichthe operating rod 15 is movable, as'fully shown in Fig. 2. The operating rod may be termed a piston rod and it extends into acylinder a0 and is provided with a piston 41. The cylinder has ports 42 and the piston has ports 43 for the passage of the fluid under compression which is used for imparting movement of the piston 41 in one direction, the said piston being moved in the opposite direction under the influence of a spring 44 within the cylinder and embracing the piston rod. Any suitable connection l5 may be employed for delivering fluid under compresslon to the cylinder and a suitable valve of known co n The i'ltllCl under compression struction may be employed for controlling the delivery of the fluid under compression.

From an inspection of the drawing and from the foregoing description, it will be apparent that upon the admission of the fluid under compression to the cylinder, the piston will be forced against the action of the spring as and when the pressure of the fluid is interrupted, the pressure will be reduced by reason of the escape of the'fiuid through the ports 42 and 14:3, and thereafter the spring will come into play to move the piston in the opposite direction and of course this action may be repeated as often as the is delivered to the cylinder. The reciprocation of the rod 15 will result in moving the plunger head to discharge sand and to move the box and hopper and hence there will be such agitation of the contents ofthe hopper as to prevent its being packed to a degree which will prevent its discharge during the sanding operation. Y

I claim:

1. In a sanding apparatus, a discharge chute, a hopper an element between the hopper and the chute'for carrying the hopper, means for movably mounting the element on the chute, means for discharging sand from the element to the said chute and for moving the said element, and means for operating the sand delivering and'element operating means.

2. In a sand distributing apparatus, a chute, an element thereabove in communication therewith, means for' mounting the element for movement with relation to the chute, a hopper carried by and communicating with the element for delivering sand to the element,a plunger operating in the element for forcing sand therefrom and for moving the element, and power applying means for reciprocating the plunger.

3. In a sanding apparatus, a chute, a box in the mouth of the chute, links pivotally connected to the chute and to the said box, a hopper carried by the box and in communication therewith, means for controlling the passage of sand through the hopper to GEORGE M. TOWLE. 4

thecontrolling members, and 

